The present invention relates in general to a stereo microscope, having two distinct optical paths, for viewing samples that have either been stained with a fluorochrome or samples that may exhibit autofluorescence. More particularly, the invention is directed to a stereo microscope having a reflective light fluorescence system for sending excitation wavelength equally down both optical paths of the microscope to excite the samples uniformly.
There are known stereo microscopes for viewing samples, including samples that have been stained with a fluorochrome or that exhibit autofluorescence. In many microscopes, the sample is illuminated with the ambient light of the room. However, such microscopes do not permit effective viewing of the sample, primarily because the light illuminating the sample is insufficient.
Other microscopes are known in which light is illuminated down one of the optical paths of the microscope. While this general type of microscope provides greater illumination of the sample than earlier microscopes, the sample is not illuminated evenly. Consequently, the resulting image emitted from the sample is uneven and unbalanced to the viewer. This is a problem and disadvantage of conventional stereo microscopes.